The Carolina Chocolate Drops

An African-American String Band

Thursday, September 12, 2013

7:30 PM in Wait Chapel

The Carolina Chocolate Drops prove that old-time, fiddle and banjo-based music can be a living, breathing, and ever-evolving sound. Starting with material culled from the Piedmont region of the Carolinas, they seek to freshly interpret this work–not merely re-creating it, but highlighting the central role that African-Americans played in shaping our nation’s popular music from its beginnings more than a century ago.

The Jerusalem Quartet

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

7:30 PM in Brendle Recital Hall

The Jerusalem Quartet, hailed by The Strad as “one of the young, yet great quartets of our time,” has garnered international acclaim for its rare combination of passion and precision. The quartet formed while its members were students at the Jerusalem Conservatory of Music and Dance. They quickly found a shared commitment to the music that has not only endured, but has propelled them to the highest level of performance. Their discography on Harmonia Mundi includes quartets by Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, and Dvorak. The program will include a new work composed for the quartet by Brian Elias, commissioned in part by the Secrest Artists Series.

Cantus Vocal Ensemble in “All is Calm”

Thursday, November 21, 2013

7:30 PM in Brendle Recital Hall

Acclaimed as “the premier men’s vocal ensemble in the United States” (Fanfare), Cantus is committed to inspiring audiences with music performed at the highest level. Rehearsing and performing without a conductor or music director, the nine members of Cantus are renowned for adventurous programming spanning many periods and genres. “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914″ by Peter Rothstein, with musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Rakach, was commissioned specifically for the collaboration between Cantus and Theater Latté Da. Through new arrangements of European carols and war songs for a capella voices, “All is Calm” recalls the remarkable World War I truce between the Allied Forces and German soldiers in no man’s land on Christmas, 1914. This event will be presented in cooperation with IPLACe, the Interdisciplinary Performance in the Liberal Arts Center.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

7:30 PM in Wait Chapel

The 2012-2013 season marks Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s 40th year of making internationally renowned music while reinventing the way the world thinks about musical collaboration, education and outreach, and democratic leadership. By performing without a conductor and integrating musicians into virtually every facet of the organization, Orpheus empowers its members and infuses performances with unparalleled energy. Orpheus has appeared on the Secrest Series previously in 1994 and 1998, and has also collaborated with other past Secrest performers such as Nathan Gunn and Wayne Shorter.

Their performance at Wake Forest will include an open rehearsal for students/faculty/staff and community members to observe their leaderless collaboration in action.

Xiayin Wang, Pianist

Thursday, April 10, 2014

7:30 PM in Brendle Recital Hall

An artist with a winning combination of superb musicianship, verve, and riveting technical brilliance, pianist Xiayin Wang conquers the hearts of audiences wherever she appears. As a recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist in venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, she has already achieved a high level of recognition for her commanding performances.

Xiayin Wang completed studies at the Shanghai Conservatory and holds Bachelor’s Master’s, and Professional Studies degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.